


Good Listener

by HenryWithACause (HenryBoyThatsMe)



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Getting Together, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Written for yoi secret valentines, Yuri is a little shit and he knows it, for Tumblr user plisetskypng, otabek is good at listening
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-22 15:12:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9613316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HenryBoyThatsMe/pseuds/HenryWithACause
Summary: Otabek is a good listener and Yuri realizes just how much that means to him.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tumblr user Plisetskypng](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Tumblr+user+Plisetskypng).



> This was written as part of the Yuri On Ice Secret Valentines exchange. My valentine is plisetsypng, I hope you enjoy this!

Yuri Plisetsky is fully aware that he is an angry little shit. 

He doesn’t need anyone to tell him that he’s angry, he doesn’t need anyone to try to calm him down, and he  _ definitely  _ doesn’t need anyone interrupting his anger fueled rants to explain away or defend whatever he’s angry about. 

And that’s not even mentioning the ones who tell him to calm down specifically because his age makes him irrational. There’s a special place in hell for those people. 

But then there’s Otabek, and Otabek - bless his quiet, attentive, stoically sexy soul - gets it. Otabek will let him go on and on for as long as he needs to about whatever it is that bothers him to the point that he actually exhausts his frustration and switches to things that make him happy, which he will then go on and on about for just as long and with just as much enthusiasm.

 

- - -

 

The first time he realized just how good of a listener Otabek was, they were chatting on Skype while Yuri made dinner. He had his laptop perched on the counter next to the stove while he flitted around the kitchen grabbing ingredients, chopping vegetables, and gathering plates, ranting all the while about Lilia’s grueling ballet regimen and Viktor’s ridiculous antics about his return to skating and Katsudon’s move to Russia that took up everyone’s time and attention during what was supposed to be practice. At one point he just stopped short mid-sentence, spatula in hand, suddenly at a loss for what to say. It took him a moment to gather his thoughts (of which he had many) and understand that no one had ever let him vent uninterrupted for that long before. He looked at the screen to make sure the call hadn’t disconnected, but sure enough, there was Otabek’s face staring back at him unfrozen with the timer on the call still ticking up the seconds. 

“What happened?” Otabek had asked, a confused look twisting the sharp lines of his face. 

Yuri spent another couple of seconds in dumbfounded silence before he finally righted himself, shook his head, scoffed, and responded with his trademark practiced indifference, “Nothing, just thinking. Where was I?”

Instead of pressing farther, Otabek just let out a quiet laugh and helpfully supplied the last articulate thing Yuri had mentioned, “Um, something about how Lilia is going to break your feet and you’re going to break Viktor’s blades?” 

“Yes! I’m going to snap those stupid fucking gold blades in half and then shove them through the soles of his dumbass exotic boots. You know literally no other skater in Russia uses that brand of boots? They’re not even better, they’re the same quality, he just wants to be special all the time!” 

And it continued in much the same way until Yuri finished cooking and they had to disconnect so he could eat and Otabek could sleep. 

It wasn’t until later that Yuri noticed how good he felt after that call. Like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders and the frustrated tension had actually left his body with his words. The only other time he’d felt so relieved after a conversation was when it was one he wanted desperately to get out of, never because the conversation itself was relieving. 

With that understanding fresh in his mind, he retreated to his bedroom, buried his face in his cat’s soft fur, and smiled. 

 

- - -

 

After that Skype call, Yuri quickly realized just how grateful he was for Otabek’s presence in his life. He was a grounding force even when they were separated by miles and conflicting practice schedules that made it difficult to keep in touch as regularly as they might like. Simply knowing that he had someone who would listen without comment or question or judgement, someone who would give his opinion honestly if asked and would remain silent if not, know that such a person was just a text or a video call away made Mila’s teasing and Georgi’s whining and Viktor’s theatrics all easier to bear. 

Otabek calmed the Ice Tiger of Russia. 

Until the day that calm turned into nervousness. 

It was during yet another Skype conversation. They were preparing for Worlds and discussing the changes they’d made to their programs when Yuri found himself in the position of listener for a change. Otabek was just recounting a new exercise routine he was trying, he didn’t speak nearly as long or with nearly as much energy as Yuri usually did, but it was enough. Yuri found himself hanging on every word, staring intently at the slightly pixilated image of Otabek’s face. It was a good thing he wasn’t the one talking too, because the realization hit him just as hard as the time he’d been allowed to speak for as long as he needed that night in the kitchen. The realization of exactly why talking to Otabek made him so calm, why he was so grounded by their friendship. He  _ liked _ Otabek, possibly loved him, definitely wanted to date him, absolutely wanted to suck his brains out through his dick. His eyes bugged and his cheeks heated and he frantically hoped that the video quality wasn’t good enough to show the changes in his expression. 

He ended that particular call earlier than he might have otherwise wanted to, but it was a special circumstance and he had a lot of shit to sort through in his head. 

He liked the way things were between them. He liked the way they talked, the way Otabek listened, the way they were both fiercely competitive, but still wanted one another to do well. He didn’t want anything to change in how they acted, he just wanted it to be romantic instead of just friendship. And he wanted sex, but honestly, who could look at Otabek and not want sex? 

He spent a good deal of time wishing that he hadn’t realized how he felt, because he was suddenly nervous to see Otabek again, which was the last thing he wanted to feel. Until that call he had been so excited for Worlds, for the chance to see him in person and compete against him again, but the idea of seeing him while knowing what these feelings were just made him want to wring his hands together and pace in circles until the floor wore down under his feet. 

He slept fitfully that night. 

It wasn’t until he was on the plane to Worlds that he understood what he had to do. 

He had to talk to Otabek. Just like he always did. Because Otabek would listen without comment or question or judgement. Just like he always did. 

 

- - -

 

Then came the first and only time that Otabek interrupted Yuri. 

It was the day before their Short Program when Yuri finally mustered up the courage to go to Otabek’s room and come clean about his feelings. 

When he opened the door, Otabek looked like he was just about to go for a run. Yuri almost abandoned his plan right then and there for the sake of not disrupting Otabek’s day, but a quick glance behind him showed an empty room and he wasn’t sure when he’d get another chance for the two of them to speak privately, so he squared his shoulders and stood resolute the same way he did right before stepping onto the ice. “Can I come in?”

True to form, Otabek answered with a simple, “Sure,” and a brief nod while be opened the door wider. 

Yuri brushed past him into the room and paced back and forth a couple of times in the space between the beds and the closet. He heard the faint click of the door shutting behind him and he looked up to see Otabek standing in the entryway, waiting patiently and expectantly for Yuri to reveal the purpose of his visit. It was almost exactly like when they were on Skype together, but this time he couldn’t hope to hide his facial expressions behind low quality video or get out of the conversation with a swift tap of a button. It wasn’t long before he started to feel awkward with both of them standing, so he gestured for Otabek to sit on the bed with every intention of sitting in the chair that was positioned close by, but he knew that if he sat down he would fidget and over think things. So in the end he stayed standing, shifting from side to side for a few seconds before he gave in and allowed himself to pace again, albeit with a shorter path than when he’d first entered the room. 

“Okay, so I’m gonna say some things and I need you to just listen, alright?” Yuri paused and waited for the customary nod before continuing. “You probably know I hate feelings and shit because they’re stupid and distracting and I hate Mila’s shitty gossip, but I’m going to talk about my feelings right now because having them is way worse than hearing about them and you always listen to what I have to say even when I’m being a total asshole.” He took a deep breath and half wished he was dreaming this so he wouldn’t have to face any real consequences once he was done. “I like you. A lot. Like Viktor likes Katsudon, except way less gross, and don’t you dare mention this to him. I like talking to you and I like it when you talk to me, and you’re really hot, which is just not fair, and you make me feel weirdly calm, like-”

“Yuri.”

“Ugh, no. I’m not done, just listen. I have to say this even if you’ll-”

“ _ Yuri _ ,” he said it with more force than before as he stood up and placed his hands on Yuri’s shoulders. “You don’t have to finish, because I feel the same way.”

“Huh?”

Otabek let out a little laugh and shook his head. “I like you too. You don’t have to explain it or try to justify it to me because I’m right there with you.”

Yuri took a few seconds to process what he was hearing, his eyes wide from the unexpected words. “Seriously?”

“Yeah.” Otabek nodded and felt his hands rise and fall where they sat on Yuri’s shoulders as he let out a breath of relief. 

“Thank fuck. This could have been so awkward.” 

The two shared a laugh and Otabek shifted his hands so that he was cupping Yuri’s cheeks. He dipped his head a fraction of an inch before pausing, “... Can I?”

Yuri scoffed, letting out a rushed beratement of, “Oh my god, you are  _ way _ too polite,” before rising up on his toes, grabbing a handful of Otabek’s shirt, and tugging him down to fit their mouths firmly together. 

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr at anxietyonskates!


End file.
